The articles that make up Issue #004 of the FootyStars “Collectors Edition” newsletter can be found in this newsletter archive by following these links.

Editorial
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2006/10/footy-season-over-for-another-year/

Footy Card Spotlight
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2006/10/2006-brownlow-and-premiership-predictors/

Bustin’ Out
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2006/10/philips-box-bust-awesome-footy-cards/

Footy Card Collectors Tips
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2006/10/why-is-one-footy-card-worth-more-than-another/

Protecting Your Investment
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2006/10/card-holders-by-ultra-pro/

Sign up to receive your own free subscription to the Footy Stars “Collectors Edition” newsletter delivered directly to your inbox as soon as it’s published — a $47 value — yours FREE! Just click here to subscribe.

Are you feeling a little depressed at the moment?

Me too.

The footy season is over for another year!

But the good news is there’s only 5 months to go until Season 2007 begins!

I know… I’m a tragic. But I love my footy and weekends just don’t feel the same without it.

Sure if you’re into the NRL there’s the Tri Nations, and if you’re in to the AFL there’s the International Rules Tour of Ireland… but let’s face it… it’s just not the same as watching your team play each week!

So what do we do while we’re waiting for March 2007?

We turn to our football cards.

It’s an exciting time of year in card collecting!

It’s time to redeem your Adam Goodes Brownlow Predictor, and it’s time to redeem your Broncos Premiership Predictor, or Full Set of NRL Premiership Predictors.

It’s also time to complete your sets, including inserts and signatures, and of course organise their protection so they will retain (and even grow) their value over their lifetime.

This month’s newsletter is relatively short in comparison to previous issues… I guess it’s the lack of football or something. However, having said that I’m sure there is something here that will interest you so I encourage you to continue reading.

First, something a little different.

You’re a footy fan which means you’ll be interested in this…

You enjoy watching live sport on Free To Air TV right?
And you want to continue to right?
I suggest you might want to take a look at this site: http://www.SaveMySport.com.au

You may have even seen the TV ads on each of the major Free To Air Networks. It’s worth getting behind the cause if you love your sport as much as I do.

Lastly, before I sign off and you get in to the rest of the newsletter I thought I would let you know that we still have a few signed Invincibles cards to randomly give away to readers of this newsletter who buy either Newcastle or Broncos Team sets from our web site over the next few months.

You don’t need to be a genius to realise that each of signed Broncos cards are probably worth more than the Team Set following their Premiership win…

First in — best dressed — until they all run out.

So what are you waiting for? Click here now…

Kind regards,

Ian

——-

Help a Friend Subscribe

If you know another Footy Card collector who would enjoy reading this newsletter please forward it to them.

Alternatively you can invite them to subscribe by sending them this link:
http://www.footystars.com.au/Free_St uff/Newsletter_Sign_Up.php

They can sign up in less than 60 seconds, it’s FREE and they are guaranteed to receive this newsletter every single month.

It’s hard to go past these cards at this time of year… I’m talking about Predictors.

The Adam Goodes Brownlow Predictor card entitles you to redeem one of only 100 Limited Edition 2006 Brownlow Medalist Signature Cards since the Swans star was judged Best and Fairest for a second time.

The Signature card is likely to be worth somewhere between $400 and $600 when it hits the market.

I’m confident it will be sold within that range, and my confidence comes from having sold the equivalent card from the previous two Brownlow Medal Winners within the last month.

First we sold the Chris Judd Brownlow Medal Signature from the 2005 Dynasty Series for $580 which I still believe is a bargain.

Second we sold the Ben Cousins Brownlow Medal Signature Redemption from this years Supreme Series for $350… definitely a bargain.

As for Goodes… time will tell but we should know by the time our next issue comes out. I’ll let you know how well it sells.

The other kind of Predictor is of the NRL Premiership variety.

If you have the Brisbane Broncos Predictor you can redeem the card for a limited edition Mini Premiership Set from Select.

The Mini Premiership Sets are typically valued at between $130 and $200 if past years are anything to go by, and given the huge popularity of the Broncos team they will probably be at the top end of this scale.

The added bonus with the NRL Premiership Predictors is that if you collect all 15 Predictors you can redeem them for the limited edition Captain Card set from Select, AND you’ll also get the Mini Premiership Set.

Both the Mini Premiership Set and the Captain Card Set are limited to 350 each so they are likely to hold and even increase in value over time

If you’ve got the right cards send them in to Select now. Numbers are issued in order of receipt which means if you want a low number set you need to get in quickly.

This month’s Bustin’ Out story comes from Philip, a keen Canterbury Bulldogs fan.

His story is one from waaaaay back in the 90’s… a decade ago in 1996!

Philip tells us he often went into his local card shop, and one particular day the owner of the card shop asked him if he wanted to buy a box of the previous years 1995 Rugby League Series 1 from Dynamic for just $40 (compare that to over $190 nowadays).

Needing only two Force Five signatures to complete his set (Brett Mullins and Dean Pay) Philip describes his decision in his own words like this…

“I ummed and aaared before I gave into temptation and chose one of the final 2 boxes he had for sale and as I was walking out of the shop I noticed that the box I had picked was slightly damaged on the corner so I walked back in and swapped it for the other box.”

“To cut a long story short I got home and opened the box immediately. The 5th packet I opened I pulled a MegaMal Redemption Card! I thought to myself well that pays for that box.”

“I went on and opened another 3 packets to find the Special Force Five Signature Card that gave you the full set of Signature cards — all the same number AND there were only 50 of these special cards released.”

“You can imagine how thrilled I was in finding this card, but my luck continued as I redeemed it JUST before Dynamic went out of business!”

I love this story from Philip… it’s fantastic to hear about someone being lucky four times with the one box of cards. Firstly choosing the right box (second time lucky), then finding the MegaMal, and then finding the Force Five Signature Card, and finally getting it redeemed before Dynamic went under.

Unbelievable but true!

Philip still has the Autographed Set today and he intends on keeping it — just like a true collector. His set is Numbered 38 of 50 and it’s quite likely he has the final set redeemed from Dynamic.

Thanks for your story Philip.

Note to readers: At FootyStars.com.au we don’t sell any footy cards released prior to 2005.

—————
Tell us about your best ever find from bustin’ open packs of footy cards.

Each month, we will select at least one “Bust” that has been submitted by a subscriber and publish it in this newsletter.

Please submit your “Bustin’ Out” story to:
BustinOut[at]FootyStars.com.au

If you act now and send in your story it might just appear in our next issue… just like Philip did.

“Why is one card worth more than another?”

This is a question we receive at least once a week from visitors to our web site.

The question usually from new footy card collectors — kids just starting out, and while the answer to this innocent question might seem straight forward there is often a little more to it than meets the eye.

Let’s start with the basics… Insert cards (also called “Inserts” or “Chase Cards”) are some of the most valuable cards available today.

Inserts are included randomly in packs of footy cards or can be purchased individually from card dealers.

Inserts are much harder to find in packs than regular issue cards (called “commons”). Inserts are less common.

For example, chances are you would have to buy eight packs of the 2006 AFL Supreme Series before you found just one All Australian Insert! That’s a ratio of 1:8 packs.

To collect all 22 All Australian Inserts you would have to open at least 176 packs of cards (22 x 8 packs = 176). More if you got doubles.

Because insert cards are less common and harder to find, they usually are worth more money than a common card. Inserts also are more valuable because they have special features that regular cards don’t.

While most novice collectors believe it’s only the ratio of inserts that determines the value (1:8 packs), true card collectors understand the ratio is only a tiny part of the equation.

Of far more importance to true collectors are things like:

• the actual players featured,
• their achievements to date,
• premierships won,
• representative honours,
• popularity of the player and
• the level of expectation for future success of the star;

particularly if they are at the beginning of their career.

The level of differentiation in the insert set cards can also raise their value or hold it back. Inserts have some of the flashiest most unique designs and recently Select have shown their keeness to include a healthy dose of gold or silver foil print to their insert cards.

If the insert set features its own special mark, logo or shape that instantly shows a difference between this and the common set the value will be higher. The perfect example is the Jersey Die Cut Cards that were introduced to the NRL series for the first time this year.

With just 1 Jersey Die Cut in each pack, it’s unique look and the high profile players featured, it was always going to be a valuable insert set.

Of course there are many other features that make one card more valuable than another, but I might save that part of the story for another issue of the newsletter.

One thing is for sure… footy card collectors believe the insert trend has added an exciting new dimension to footy card collecting… and I have to agree whole heartedly!

This month we take a look at not just one, but four ways of protecting your footy cards…

This month the protection method is also a fantastic way to display your collection… we’re talking about Ultra Pro Card Holders.

“So what?” I hear you say… “card holder doesn’t sound that special.”

Let me explain a little… because its simplicity is what makes it so special.

These card holders; available as 2, 3, 4 or 9 card holders, look so good because of the bold black outline around each card.

Punctuating the bold black outlines are the striking gold coloured screws which add a touch of class.

The Card Holders are made of 2 pieces of clear rigid-plastic held together with the gold coloured screws.

They have a recessed area to hold and protect your cards from being creased or folded, and it also protects the sides and corners from damage.

Being clear (except for the bold black outlines) they still allow you to view both sides of your cards so you retain maximum visibility.

For me, these card holders are the perfect way to show off your favourite cards, or some of your Signature Redemption cards.

If you’re interested in protecting your cards with Ultra Pro, you can now find all the Ultra Pro Accessories mentioned in this newsletter at great prices on our website at:

http://www.footystars.com.au/store/ultrapro-c-25.html